Pushing and pulling apparatus



April 1953 D. J. BENTLEY ET AL 2,

PUSHING AND PULLING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 10, 1954 v e Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTORS. DONALD J. BENTLEY and RICHARD A. BROWN,

A i/L Ada their Afforney.

April 1958 D. .1. BENTLEY ET AL 2,830,788

PUSHINC AND PULLING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 10, 1954lNl/ENTORS. DONALD J. BENTLEY 0/70 RICHARD A. BROWN,

their Attorney.

April 1958 7D. J. BENTLEY ET AL 2,8 0,788

PUSHING AND PULLING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 10, 1954their Attorney.

p 15, 1958v D. J. BENTLEY ET AL 2,830,783

FUSHING AND PULLING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 10, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 4IIIIIIM INVENTORS. DONALD J. BENTLEY and. RICHARD A. BROWN,

Ihe/r Attorney.

April 15, 1958 D. J. BENTLEY ET AL 2,830,788

PUSHING AND PULLING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 10, 1954 e Sheets-Sheet 5 v a5 w I /A v INVENTORS. DONALD J. BENTLEY and RICHARD 4. BROWN,

1" Ammwm their Aftqr ney.

April 15, 1958 D. .1. BENTLEY ET AL 2,830,738

PUSHING AND PULLING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 10, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 A TE7. TT'f w y fiti l I l 9 A l I 53 I l I 40 52 l n l I 56 u n 'l I k II n|l I A H INVENTORS." l0 DONALD J. BENTLEY and RICHARD A. BROWN,

their Attorney.

PUSHING AND PULLING APPARATUS Donald J. Bentley, Fullerton, and RichardA. Brown,

Compton, Calif., assignors to United States Steel Corporation, acorporation of New Jersey Application September 10, 1954, Serial No.455,196

Claims. (Cl. 254-31) This invention relates to apparatus for exertinglongitudinal thrust on an elongated member such as a column for movingeither the column or a member carried thereby relative one to another.

One application for the invention is a jack for climbing the columns orcaissons slidably inserted through wells in a decked barge fabricatedfrom metal plate, to lift it above water level so it may serve as adock, as described in U. S. Steel News July 1952, pp. 4-9. For theinstallation there described, an unusual expedient was used, i. 6.,rubber pneumatic rings encircling each caisson in spaced groups werealternately inflated to grip it while another group of such ringsexerted the necessary lift.

It is the object of our invention to improve generally on such priorapparatus by providing a construction especially adapted for repeateduse as required in modern off-shore drilling wherein the barge, afterinstallation and use at one location, must be lowered into the water fortravel to a different location.

A further object is to provide means effective automatically to exert africtional grip on the caisson to hold it against movement in onedirection relative to the barge, or vice versa, while the caisson isbeing moved stepwise in the other direction.

In a preferred embodiment, we provide a slip casing secured to the bargedeck, having opposed sets of upper and lower slips forming chocksadapted selectively to hold the barge or the caisson against movement inone direction, while it is being moved in the other direction in aseries of lifts or descents. A plurality of doubleacting fluid pressurecylinders and pistons effect these lifts or descents. A fluid-operatedgripper ring spaced from the slip casing makes temporary frictionalengagement with the caisson to afford reaction for a lift on the bargeor the grip necessary to raise the caisson. The cylinders and pistonsextend between the barge deck and the gripper ring and are pivotallyconnected thereto. We provide power-operated means effective selectivelyto retract one of the two sets of slips from operative position.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from thefollowing detailed description and explanation which refer to theaccompanying drawings illustrating the present preferred embodiment. Inthe drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through our improved apparatus, withparts in elevation, showing a portion of the barge and one of thecaissons for supporting it;

Figure la is a portion of Figure 1 showing parts in alternate positions;

Figures 2 through 5 are partial or complete transverse sections takenalong the planes of lines 11-11, III1II, IVIV, and V-V, respectively;

Figure 6 is a partial bottom plan view of the upper slips; and

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a modification.

Referring now in detail to the drawings and, for the present, to Figure1, a barge 10 fabricated from metal nited States Patent plate includes adeck 11, longitudinal and transverse bulkheads 12 and 13 and a number ofspaced cylindrical wells 14 extending from the deck through the bottom(not shown). A caisson 15 is slidably inserted into each well. Thecaissons are large cylindrical metal columns adapted to support thebarge when they are lowered to the bottom of the body of water on whichthe barge is operating and the barge is jacked up on the caissons. Whenthe barge is to be moved to a different location it is lowered into thewater and the caissons are pulled from the bottom and raised to a heightsuitable for travel of the barge. Thus, when the caissons are low ered,they support the barge but when raised they are supported by it. Ourinvention concerns only the means for raising and lowering the caissonsand for jacking the barge up and down thereon.

A base plate 16, having a central opening in alinement with well 15 toaccommodate acaisson, is secured to deck 11 by an anchor plate 17 boltedthereto. Plate 16 has lugs 18 upstanding thereon in pairs spacedcircumferentially about its periphery. A slip casing 19 in the form of acylinder having a bore 20 therethrough with spaced, oppositely tapering,frusto-conical portions 21 and 22, stands vertically on plate 16 and hasradial webs 23 fitting between lugs 18 bolted thereto. The slip casingtelescopes exteriorly onto the caisson as the latter is inserted throughwell 14.

A ring of segmental slips 24 in casing 19 cooperates with taperedportion 21 of bore 26. The slips are adapted by wedging action to holdthe casing against downward movement relative to the caisson lips 24 areconstantly urged toward operative position by springs 25 inserted infour tubular sockets 26 equally spaced circumferentially on plate 16 andcompressed between it and a bearing ring 27 engaging the slips at thebottom thereof. Ring 27 has guide pins 28 extending downwardly therefromthrough the springs and into the sockets. The slips are spaced from eachother by compressible washers 29 of rubber or like material (see Figure6), which permit the slips to contract radically about the caisson forgripping yet tend to spread them apart to maintain them in contact withthe bore of casing 19.

A friction gripper 30 spaced above the slip casing 19 also telescopesonto the exterior of the caisson when it is inserted in well 14. Thegripper includes an annular fluid chamber 31 open on the inner side,fabricated from metal plate. A contractible ring 32 of rubber-likematerial forms the inner Wall of the chamber and is fitted withsegmental metal shoes 33 having serrated faces adapted to engage thecaisson. When fluid under pressure is admitted to chamber 31 through aport 31a, the ring 32 is contracted with slight radial sliding movementin the chamber and shoes 33 take a firm frictional grip on the caisson.

Thrust means in the form of double-acting fluid-pressure cylinders 34are provided for exerting either an upward push or a downward pull onthe caisson from the barge. The cylinders are pivoted to cars 35upstanding on plate 17 while their piston rods 36 are pivoted to radialwebs 37 spaced circumferentially of gripper 36. Thus, if the piston rodsbe extended fully and gripper 30 operated to seize the caisson,retraction of the pistons in cylinders 34 will exert a downward pull onthe caisson, the reaction of which will be an upward lift on the barge.Conversely, if the gripper be operated to seize the caisson while thepistons of the cylinders are retracted, extension of the piston rodswill cause a lowering of the barge if above water or a lift on thecaisson if the barge be floating.

Three brackets 38 are mounted on a plate 39 secured on top of slipcasing 19, and are equally spaced circumferentially thereof. Afluid-pressure cylinder is mounted vertically on each bracket by clampblocks 41 and has its piston rod 42 extending downwardly into thecasing. A bearing ring 43 to which the lower ends of the rods aresecured, supports a second set'of segmental slips 44 adapted tocooperate with tapered portion 22- of bore 20 in casing 19. Certain ofslips 44 aregrooved as at 45 to admit rods 42 and all the slips areconstantly urged downwardly by three equally spaced springs similar tothose shown at 25. When the pistons of cylinders 40 are retracted,however, slips 44 are held in the position shown in Figure 1, out ofoperative engagement with casing 19. When piston rods 42 are extended,slips 44 are permitted to engage the tapered portion 22 of the casingbore and ring 43 displaces slips 24 downwardly to inoperative position,as shown in Figure 10.

It will be understood that slips 24 and 44 serve selectively as checksor holding clutches to control relative movement between the barge andcaisson, depending on which set is permitted to engage its taperedportion of the casing bore, the selection being made by operating thepistons of cylinders 40 to their upper or lower positions. When thebarge is floating, slips 44 are brought into play to control lowering ofthe caissons to sea bottom, and hold the caisson between successivelowering steps while the gripper is being disengaged, moved upwardly onthe caisson and then re-engaged therewith. Slips 44-, of course, must beretracted to disengage the caisson during each actual lowering step.

When the caissons reach firm footing on the bottom, ring 43 is raisedwhereupon slips 24 serve to hold the barge against downward movementbetween successive raising steps while the gripper is being reset forthe next lift. Slips 24 and 44 also function in the same manner,respectively, during lowering of the barge and raising of the caissons.double-acting chock effective selectively to permit relative movement inone direction between the barge and caisson while preventing suchmovement in the other direction.

Figure 7 shows a modification generally similar to the apparatusdescribed above but differing slightly therefrom in structure andoperation. As shown, the modified apparatus comprises a slip casingadapted to be secured to the deck 11 of barge 10, a gripper 51 similarto that shown at 30, and fluid-pressure cylinders and pistons 52 pivotedto the gripper and the barge deck. Casing 50 is a rigid annular memberfabricated from metal plate, open on the inner side and adapted totelescope on the exterior of caisson 15 when it is inserted through well14.

A wedging ring 53 is slidable axialy within casing 50. Adjusting screws54 extend through holes 55 spaced circumferentialy of ring 53 and havethreaded engage ment therein. The screws are journaled in bearings 56 inthe upper and lower walls of casing 50 and have sprockets 57 on theirupper ends whereby all the screws may be driven simultaneously by achain 57a trained over the sprockets and extending continuously aroundthe caisson. The interior of ring 53 is bored to form opposedfrusto-conical portions 58 and 59.

Opposed upper and lower sets of slips 60 and 61 are disposed in ring 53and are adapted to make frictional contact with the exterior of thecaisson. The slips are urged toward operative position by springs 62 andalined slips in the two opposed sets are loosely connected by links 63and pivot pins. It will be evident that the adjustment of ring 53 to itslower or upper position determines which set of slips will be effectiveto permit relative movement in one direction between the barge andcaisson, and prevent movement in the other direction. When ring 53 ismoved downwardly to its solid-line position, slips 66 become effective.When it is desired to make use of slips 61 it is only necessary toadjust the ring to its upper posi- Together, slips 24 and 44 constitutea 4 tion shown in dotted lines. Operation of the chain to drive theadjusting screws may be manual or by suitable power means. In otherrespects, the operation of the apparatus of Figure 7 is the same as thatof the apparatus shown in Figures 1 to 6.

it will be apparent from the foregoing that our invention provides asafe and highly effective apparatus for repeatedly raising and loweringa barge and its supporting caissons, whereby it may be readily movedfrom one location to another as required by the nature of the operationscarried out thereon, such as exploratory drilling. The apparatus,furthermore, is simple and well adapted to be designed for the heavyloads involved. At the same time, it is easily controlled, requiringonly a source of operating fluid under suitable pressure and appropriatevalves. Only a single operation, i. e., reciprocation of the pistons ofcylinders 40, is necessary to shift from a raising to a loweringoperation. Once the barge is raised to the desired height, the slips 24serve automatically to hold it there, but semi-permanent fasteners suchas bolted brackets will, of course, be employed as the principal meansto secure the barge to the caissons for extended use.

Although we have disclosed herein only the present preferred embodimentof our invention and certain variants thereof, We intend to cover aswell any change or modification therein which may be made withoutdcparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for raising and lowering a marine vessel having a verticalwell therethrough, on a bottom-grounded column slidably extendingthrough said well, said apparatus comprising a slip casing secured tothe vessel and telescoped on said column, said casing having a bore withtwo oppositely tapering frusto-conical portions, opposed sets of slipsin said portions effective inopposite directions, adapted frictionallyto grip the column on relative movement between the column and vessel,control means for selectively rendering said sets of slips ineffective,a friction gripping ring operable by fluid pressure, telescoped on saidcolumn, spaced therealong from said casing and effective when engaged toexert thrust on the column in either direction therealong, and jackssecured to said ring and to the vessel whereby to raise and lower thecolumn when the vessel is floating and to raise and lower the vessel onthe column when the column is on bottom.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 characterized by said gripping ringincluding a rigid annular fluid chamber open on the inner side and acontractible collar slidable radially in said chamber and forming theinner wall thereof.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 characterized by power means foractuating said slip-control means.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 characterized by said slip-controlmeans including a shifter ring movably disposed between said sets ofslips.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 characterized by said slip-controlmeans including means mounting said slip casing slidably toward and fromthe vessel, and screws journaled in the vessel and extending throughsaid casing effective to shift it bodily in an axial direction relativeto both sets of slips.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,121,718 Derby et a1. Dec. 22, 1914 1,454,088 Thrift May 8, 19231,895,132 Minor s Jan. 24, 1933 1,909,696 List May 16, 1933 2,555,145McKinney May 29, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 28,406 Great Britain June 25, 1914

